The Journals of Lewis & Clark: Lewis, June 16, 1806

Updated May 14, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Lewis, June 16, 1806

Monday June 16th 1806. We collected our horses very readily this morning, took breakfast and set out at 6 A.M.; proceeded up the creek about 2 miles through some handsom meadows of fine grass abounding with quawmash, here we passed the creek & ascended a ridge which led us to the N. E. about seven miles when we arrived at a small branch of hungry creek. the difficulty we met with from the fallen timber detained us untill 11 oC before we reached this place. here is a handsome little glade in which we found some grass for our horses we therefore halted to let them graize and took dinner knowing that there was no other convenient situation for that purpose short of the glaids on hungry creek where we intended to encamp, as the last probable place, at which we shall find a sufficient quantity of grass for many days. this morning Windsor busted his rifle near the muzzle. before we reached this little branch on which we dined we saw in the hollows and N. hillsides large quatities of snow yet undisolved; in some places it was from two to three feet deep. vegetation is proportionably backward; the dogtooth violet is just in blume, the honeysuckle, huckburry and a small speceis of white maple are begining to put fourth their leaves; these appearances in this comparatively low region augers but unfavourably with rispect to the practibility of passing the mountains, however we determined to proceed, accordingly after taking a haisty meal we set out and continued our rout though a thick wood much obstructed with fallen timber, and intersepted by many steep ravines and high hills. the snow has increased in quantity so much that the greater part of our rout this evening was over the snow which has become sufficiently firm to bear our horshes, otherwise it would have been impossible for us to proceed as it lay in immence masses in some places 8 or ten feet deep. we found much difficulty in pursuing the road as it was so frequently covered with snow. we arrived early in the evening at the place that Capt. C. had killed and left the flesh of a horse for us last September. here is a small glade in which there was some grass, not a sufficiency for our horses but we thought it most advisable to remain here all night as we apprehended if we proceeded further we should find less grass. the air is pleasent in the course of the day but becomes very cold before morning notwithstanding the shortness of the nights. Hungry creek is but small at this place but is deep and runs a perfect torrent; the water is perfectly transparent and as cold as ice. the pitch pine, white pine some larch and firs constite the timber; the long leafed pine extends a little distance on this side of the main branch of Collins's creek, and the white cedar not further than the branch of hungry creek on which we dined. I killed a small brown pheasant today, it feeds on the tender leaves and buds of the fir and pitch pine. in the fore part of the day I observed the Cullumbine the blue bells and the yelow flowering pea in blume. there is an abundance of a speceis of anjelico in these mountains, much stonger to the taist and more highly scented than that speceis common to the U States. know of no particular virtue or property it possesses; the natives dry it cut it in small peices which they string on a small cord and place about their necks; it smells very pleasantly. we came 15 miles today.